


The War Was in Color

by cvsossong



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Established Relationship, Fuck Magic, Gen, Kid Peter Parker, M/M, Superfamily, Superhusbands, Time Travel, loki's a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-11 01:09:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2047377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cvsossong/pseuds/cvsossong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers lives a domestic, peaceful life with his husband and son in the Avengers Tower. But when Loki sends him back to the 1940s, into the battlefields of WWII, it's up to the team and his family to bring him home before they lose him forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's Start With The End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hannahfltx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannahfltx/gifts).



> find me on [tumblr](http://halfway-punk-rock.tumblr.com/)

_“So, when I get home, how’s about you and I lock ourselves in the bedroom for the next several hours and find out just how flexible you are?”_

Steve smiled and lay back on the couch. Tony was returning from his business trip and had insisted on calling every hour just to remind him how close he was to home. It would be irritating if it weren’t so endearing.

“You do remember we have a son, right?” he teased. “You know, short kid, curly brown hair, absolute adoration for his genius father whom he hasn’t seen for two weeks?”

 _“Alright, new plan. We have a family movie night and eat about a gallon of ice cream, and_ then _you and I lock ourselves in the bedroom because God only knows how much I missed seeing you. Naked, that is.”_

“Now that sounds like a plan.”

_“Excellent. I’ll be home in exactly… one hour, seventeen minutes, and forty six seconds. Wait, forty five seconds. Forty four, forty three—”_

“I’m hanging up now, Tony.”

 _“Kisses, darling.”_ The line clicked dead and Steve sighed. Tony always had to have the last word.

He and Tony had been together for a long time now. They hadn’t liked each other, at first—hated each other, really, it was pretty awful—but once Steve had moved into the Tower with the rest of the Avengers they’d managed to get past their mutual dislike to become friends. Tony had eventually been the one to sit up with him until 3 am to introduce him to a world of movies. Tony had been there after SHIELD had fallen and Steve found Bucky, alive and brainwashed. Tony had been there every time Steve had woken up gasping from his nightmares, even if only to offer popcorn and bad movies until he calmed down.

And one day, when Steve woke up with the aching realization in his chest that he was in love with his best friend, Tony had listened calmly to Steve’s explanation on why they couldn’t be friends anymore because Tony was Steve’s weak spot and he couldn’t bear losing him. And then had very calmly grabbed Steve’s collar and pulled him forward to kiss him thoroughly and properly and whisper, _“I’m not going anywhere, Captain.”_

Which had, of course, led to a secret relationship between the two that ended up turning horrible within two months. Tony had done something stupid in battle and Steve had said something stupid to him afterwards, and they’d ended up shouting for hours at each other. Tony had thrown a wrench at him at one point.

So Steve had left. Hopped on his motorcycle and gone cross- country in a fit of rage for three weeks straight. A part of him wanted to stay on the road and never go back, never have to look Tony again and remember all the awful things they’d said to each other.

_“Pathetic, Steve, that’s what you would be without that damn serum pumping in your veins. Nothing more than a weak, asthma- ridden punk who couldn’t even get in the army.”_

_“At least I tried, Stark. You were so busy stuck at the bottom of your bottle you couldn’t even see that your company was killing innocent people. You’re self- obsessed, arrogant—”_

_“I’m sorry, have you not met me?”_

_“Believe me, I have. I met you seventy years ago, and you’re exactly the same now. You’re no better than your father, Tony.”_

Eventually Steve stopped in a motel and crashed on a rickety bed for the night. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. Unfortunately, he’d only slept for about three hours before his phone was buzzing an Avengers alert somewhere over Atlanta. It wasn’t too far from Steve’s location, so he rolled out of bed and decided to fuck it all and jump in headfirst.

And of course, that had landed him unconscious in the hospital for six days, and when he’d woken up it was to Tony’s wearied face glaring at him, growling, _“You are such a fucking idiot, Steve,”_ before kissing him soundly. Apologies were murmured somewhere between kisses, and Steve promptly moved back into the Tower and the two went public with their relationship.

Nine months after that, he and Tony were at each other’s throats again because Tony couldn’t stick to a plan and had gone off on his own during a battle. _“You can’t commit to anything,”_ Steve had shouted. _“Why can’t you just listen for once, and stick to the orders we’re given?”_

 _“I can commit just fine, thank you very much, I’ve committed to you for almost a year, though God knows why at this point,”_ Tony had bit back.

_“You can’t! You’ve never committed to anything in your life, you won’t even commit to this, to us. You keep telling me ‘when we break up’ and saying things like that, like you’re expecting us to end someday.”_

_“You want me to commit? Fine.”_ And Tony had turned, stomped over to his worktable, and grabbed a box lying on its side. He tossed it in Steve’s lap and crossed his arms. _“Commit to that, asshole.”_

Steve had opened it and found a ring, gold on the top and bottom with a strip of red metal from Tony’s old suit across the middle. _“You’re going to back out,”_ he’d told Tony. _“I know you. Marriage isn’t your style.”_

Tony had smirked. _“Try me, Captain.”_

And here they were, ten years later.

“Pop, I can’t find my math homework,” Peter called from his bedroom. Steve stood up with a small groan and went down the hallway.

“Did you look under your bed?” he asked once he reached the doorway. His son looked up and nodded.

“I looked in my closet and all over the floor and in the kitchen and it’s just gone, Pop.”

Steve smiled. “Did you check your backpack?”

Peter rolled his eyes and reached for the bag. “Come on, Pop, like I would really lose it there—” he stopped and looked up guiltily. Steve grinned wider.

“Uh huh.” He nodded towards the hallway and Peter followed him into the kitchen. “No more excuses, then. Get to work on it, and if you have it done by the time your Dad comes home we can watch a movie before you go to bed, alright?”

“But Pop—”

“Unless you want me to call Dad and tell him to spend another week in Malibu?”

“I’m going!” Peter jumped onto a stool at the counter and grabbed his pencil.

“See? Was that so hard?” Steve smoothed Peter’s hair back and took a seat next to him. “Need help with anything?”

“No, I get it.”

“Then why did you wait until the last minute to finish it?”

Peter shrugged. “Cause it’s too easy. It’s boring.”

His ten-year-old son considered calculus to be boring. Steve was doomed once the kid hit puberty.

Peter was finished long before Tony had arrived, so Steve got him to take a shower and change into pajamas so he could be ready for bed after the movie. He heard the water turn on and leaned back against the couch.

“And I thought I’d look like shit from the flight. You look terrible.” Steve smiled without opening his eyes.

“You probably do look pretty bad,” he replied.

“Bite your tongue, I'm gorgeous.” Steve felt dry lips press against his cheek. “No welcome home?”

Reaching back, Steve grabbed Tony by the back of his neck and pulled him over the back of the couch to give him a real kiss. Tony made a muffled ‘mm’ noise and returned the kiss with enthusiasm. God, Steve had missed him.

They pulled apart after a minute and Tony pressed his forehead against Steve’s and grinned. “Now that was a welcome home,” he murmured. “Where’s Peter?”

“Getting a shower. How was the business trip?” Steve tangled his fingers in Tony’s and grinned at the silver ring on his finger. Steve had cut a piece from his shield and, with Bruce’s help, had fashioned it into a ring with a strip of red metal identical to his across the middle. He’d given it to Tony on the day of their wedding. The smile on Tony’s face when he’d slipped it on was one of Steve’s favorite memories.

Tony groaned and buried his face in the crook of Steve’s neck. “Awful. Stuffy old men in a room arguing over technicalities and minor disputes for two weeks straight. If I ever hear the words ‘for the good of the company’ again I'm going to throw myself out a window.”

“Your life is so tragic.” Steve kissed his temple and smiled.

“Shut up.”

“Dad!”

Peter came running in and jumped on the couch with Steve and Tony. “Dad, I missed you! And I figured out the chemical compound you’ve been showing me, and I developed some upgrades for Dummy’s system for practice like you said I should, do you want to check them over? And there’s a birthday party next week and Pop said I should ask you—”

“Okay, wait, hang on. Take a second to breathe, kiddo.” Tony twisted around until his back was against Steve’s chest. “I missed you too, Peter. And I’ll check the upgrades and your project later, okay? Right now all I want to do is watch a movie with my two boys. How does that sound?”

“Can I pick the movie?”

“I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

Peter jumped back off the couch and ran to the shelf of movies on the wall. Tony leaned back against Steve and pressed an idle kiss to his chest.

“Welcome home,” Steve whispered.

\--------------------

When Steve woke up the next morning, the sun was just beginning to color the sky. He rolled to face Tony’s sleeping form and kissed his shoulder before slipping out of bed. He headed for the bathroom, figuring he might as well go for a morning run since he was up.

He brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face to wake up, then returned to the bedroom to change into jogging clothes. Tony shifted in his sleep and Steve heard him roll over just as he was pulling on track pants.

“Steve?” he rasped. Steve leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Didn’t mean to wake you. I’m heading out for a run.” Tony groaned and sat up on one elbow.

“It’s four in the morning,” he replied. Steve smiled.

“No time like the present, right?”

Tony blinked at him. “I’m married to a masochist, aren’t I?”

“Running’s good for you, you know.”

“Whatever you say.” Tony fell back against the bed and dragged Steve down with him to steal a few lazy kisses.

Steve stroked a few curls back from Tony’s forehead. “I love you, you know,” he whispered against Tony’s lips.

“Love you, too. Go on your death run, you psychopath.” Tony closed his eyes and was back asleep in seconds.

Steve peeked into Peter’s room before he went out, and watched his son sleep peacefully for a few moments. They had adopted Peter after a droid attack on the city had left the little boy an orphan. Steve had found him in a Queens neighborhood, ready to be shipped off to an orphanage to grow up in the system. Feeling sorry for the child, Steve had offered to stay with him until they arrived at the orphanage, and when Peter had crawled in his lap and rested his head on Steve’s shoulder, Steve was basically lost. He insisted the boy stay with them—at least until they found a suitable home—and then proceeded to deny any couple that showed up because they were too rude, or had too many children, or lived in a bad neighborhood. Tony had finally pulled him aside and said, _“If you want to keep the kid, just tell me and I’ll get the papers in order. But for God’s sake, Steve, just tell me next time.”_

Steve turned and closed Peter’s door on his way out. He grabbed a bottle of water and downed half of it before heading for the elevator and out the doors of the Tower.

It was still cool that morning, the air crisp and clear. Steve set out a steady pace and headed east through the city. A few other runners passed him, waving or nodding hello as they passed. Otherwise, the streets were empty.

Steve made it to Central Park and started on the trail into the center of the park. As he went, he vaguely noticed that the sky was getting darker. He’d have to remind Peter to take an umbrella to school today, just in case.

Lightning flashed across the sky and Steve stopped to look around. Lightning usually meant Thor, but the demi- god was in New Mexico with Jane Foster and wouldn’t be back in the city until Friday. When no other streaks appeared, Steve shrugged to himself and set off again.

He missed the figure cloaked in the shadows of a clump of trees as he passed by.

\--------------------

Tony flipped a pancake and caught it on the griddle, grinning when it landed dead center. “Emeril can suck it,” he muttered to himself.

“Dad?” Tony turned and saw Peter shuffle in, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, kiddo. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Where’s Pop?” Peter mumbled. He slid into a chair at the kitchen table and poured a glass of orange juice.

“Went out for a run. He’ll be back soon, don’t worry.” Tony placed a plate in front of him with several pancakes. Peter grinned and set about wolfing them down.

Tony had finished a plate for himself and was cleaning the griddle when he heard the elevator doors slide open. A moment later, familiar arms wrapped around him and took the griddle and sponge from his hands.

“Where the hell did you go, Boston?” Tony asked. “You’ve been gone for over three hours.”

“Got caught up in the run,” Steve replied. He finished washing the griddle and kissed Tony’s cheek in greeting. Tony turned in his arms until their chests were flush against each other. Steve traced the edge of the arc reactor and pressed another kiss to Tony’s nose. Tony glared and poked at Steve’s arm.

“I expect a real greeting, thank you.”

“Do you?” Steve leaned down until their lips were barely touching and murmured, “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you called me a masochist this morning.” Grinning, he turned and stole a pancake off Tony’s plate. “Morning, Peter.” He ruffled their son’s hair and scooted into a chair beside him.

“Morning, Pop. Can I get a ride with Harry today? His mom said I could.” Peter looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

“I think that would be alright,” Steve replied. He stole another pancake off Tony’s plate and grinned when the genius scowled at him.

“Thanks! I’m gonna go get ready.” Peter finished his pancakes, hopped off the stool, and ran towards his bedroom.

Tony took his seat and pulled the plate towards him. “I’m glad Peter’s made a friend, but if Norman Osborn’s son is half as crazy as he is, we’re gonna have a real problem.”

Steve pulled the plate until it rested between the two of them. “I’m sure that Harry’s a fine kid. Besides, he’s only ten.” He picked up another pancake and tore it in half.

“Our ten year old takes a calculus course. I was entering high school when I was ten. Norman built his company with $50 and a dream. Anything goes with the geniuses of this city. Norman could easily be a super villain. And quit stealing my damn pancakes.”

“Come make me.” Steve bit into one rebelliously and Tony grinned.

“You are such a child.” He lurched towards Steve and ended up in his lap, back pressed to Steve’s chest. “Ha. Steal them now, asshole.”

Steve let his hands rest on Tony’s hips and kissed the back of his neck. “You win, husband dear. I’ll never be able to simply reach around you and take another pancake, even though you’re four inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter than me.”

“I know you’re being a shithead but you also just said I won so I'm ignoring everything else.” Tony leaned further back against Steve’s chest and rested his head in the crook of Steve’s neck. “Also I don’t have any meetings this morning and I happen to know you don’t either and I'm hoping for morning sex so I’m trying to be good.”

“Your priorities are so out of order.”

“You love it.”

“That I do. Wait until Peter’s at least out of the house, though.”

“Peter’s a growing boy. A few awkward encounters with his parents in compromising positions is good for the soul. Trust me, I know.”

“That really is a terrifying picture, Tony.” Steve poured himself some orange juice and tried not to grimace at the thought of Howard Stark having sex and Tony seeing it.

“I never said it was a good experience.”

Peter ran into the room, backpack slung over his shoulder. “Harry’s mom is here, I’ll see you later!” he called.

“Learn something new. Educate yourself. Don’t take candy from strangers. A penny saved is a penny earned,” Tony called.

“Goodbye, Dad.” Peter rolled his eyes in exasperation and disappeared into the elevator.

“They grow up so fast. Brings a tear to my eye. Let’s go have sex now.” Tony bounced up and grabbed Steve’s elbow, dragging him out of the chair. Steve followed eagerly.

They didn’t even make it through the doorway to their bedroom before they were on each other. One thing about their relationship— no matter how bad things got, the sex drive was basically unappeasable. They’d solved many an argument by yelling at each other for hours and then “fucking it out” as Tony called it.

Tony pushed Steve’s shoulders and Steve went willingly down on the bed. Tony crawled over him and straddled his waist, grinning. “Ten dollars says I can make you come twice in twenty minutes.”

“I am not taking bets on my refractory period, Tony,” Steve chuckled. He flipped them so he was on top and kissed his way down the arc reactor, grinning against Tony’s skin when he heard the other man sigh.

“Twenty bucks?” Tony carded his fingers in Steve’s hair and pulled gently.

“No.”

“Twenty dollars and I’ll make one of them a blowjob. Final offer.”

Steve reached the edge of Tony’s pants and gently blew on his navel. Tony shuddered and his grip tightened in Steve’s hair.

“Deal,” Steve murmured, kissing back up his chest and licking into Tony’s mouth.

“Ha. I know what gets you,” Tony bragged. He flipped them again and made quick work of their clothes, tossing them on the floor as he went.

“I would hope so, after ten years.” Steve pressed another kiss to Tony’s neck and tapped the alarm clock by their bed. “Clock’s ticking, sweetheart.”

\--------------------

A shadow slumped through the hallways of the Tower, blending with the darkness until it was almost invisible. It peeked around corners and crept through doorways, searching for its intended target.

The third door on the right held its prize. Captain Rogers slept, blissfully unaware, with his arrogant husband in the bed. The shadow smirked and manifested itself.

Loki silently made his way to the edge of the bed. Dear Captain Rogers, looking ever so peaceful in his domesticated life. And his lover, the Stark man who’d thwarted his attempts to seize Manhattan as his own, safe and sound at his side. How sweet.

Loki raised one hand and a green light glowed softly in his palm. “Perhaps I should remind our dear captain where he truly belongs,” he murmured. He pressed a finger to the center of Steve’s forehead and watched while the light seeped into the Captain’s skin and buried deep in his head. With a smirk, he vanished into the night once more.

 

 

 

When Tony woke up the next morning, Steve was gone.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember back when this was an innocent prompt request. A one- shot, at best. Just another AU.
> 
> Right.
> 
> Looks like it's a multi- chapter one, folks. Buckle up.


	2. Like The Old War Movies

“JARVIS, track Steve’s run and let me know where he goes this time. I swear to God, that man would pull a Forrest Gump and run cross country if I let him,” Tony grumbled, stretching into a sitting position and cracking his neck. The sun was just beginning to peek through the trees and Steve was already out running. Typical masochist.

“Sir, Captain Rogers- Stark did not go for a run this morning,” JARVIS replied.

“Where is he, then? The gym?”

“Sensors indicate that the captain is not currently in residence at the Tower, no.”

Tony’s brow furrowed. “Okay. JARVIS, where the hell is he?”

“Last known location is the Rogers- Stark master bedroom at approximately 3:18 am.”

“So where the hell did he go after that?”

“Running diagnostics now.”

“Tony, get the hell in here!” Tony stood and followed Clint’s shout into the family room.

“What is it?” he asked, rubbing his hair idly.

Clint nodded out the window. “Take a look for yourself.”

Tony glanced out and stared at… what was left of New York. It was dark outside, almost too dark to see, but from what he could tell there was almost nothing but broken down, ruined buildings and abandoned cars from the 1970s. it was like something out of a horror movie.

“What the hell?” he stammered.

“That’s what we said,” Bruce commented from the kitchen. “But what’s even more odd is this.” He turned the spout of the sink faucet and water ran through, clear and cold. “Running water, and electricity all through the Tower. Like we weren’t effected at all.”

“Has someone found Thor and asked him? Maybe it’s some… Asgardian illusion or something,” Bucky said.

“Thor’s not answering his phone,” Clint replied. “We can’t get a hold of Jane, either.”

“JARVIS.” Tony turned and a holoscreen popped up in the center of the family room. “Care to tell us what the hell happened?”

“Running scans now,” JARVIS replied. So whatever had happened wasn’t affected JARVIS. Weird. “Scanning information from newspapers and old news reports, I have confirmed that this is America in the 21st century, in a world where Germany won World War II.”

What?

“Explain,” Tony demanded.

“In 1945, Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, won World War II, seizing control of Western Europe and becoming the most fearsome dictator in human history. His control expanded to North America in 1953, as Hitler attempted to create the perfect race of humans. Estimated loss of life between 1941 and 1959, 3.5 billion. After Hitler is overthrown by his former science commander, Johann Schmidt, estimated loss of life increases between 1959 and 1972 to 7.6 billion.”

“Wait,” Clint interrupted. “Schmidt died. Cap killed him just before he went down in the plane.”

“There is no record of this event,” JARVIS said.

“So how the hell did he escape?” Bucky asked. “Where was Steve?”

“Captain Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, was shot and killed in a Hydra stronghold on April 18, 1945. Twelve days later, Johann Schmidt used a powerful artifact to mass produce weapons for Nazi soldiers, who then used these weapons against the Allied Forces to end the war in Axis victory.”

Natasha looked up at the ceiling as she walked in. “What does he mean, Steve died?” she asked.

Tony couldn’t move, couldn’t answer. He stood silent, mind racing as he heard Clint and Bruce explain what JARVIS had just told them. None of this made any sense. History had already been written, Steve couldn’t be dead because he was frozen in the Arctic and came here and…

Oh god, Steve was dead?

“So why is New York in shambles?” Sam asked.

“In 1973, nuclear war broke out between Nazi- occupied America and Soviet Russia over who would gain power of the Eastern European countries. Estimated loss of life, 2.2 billion. 84% of America and 68% of Soviet Russia is destroyed.”

This didn’t make any sense. Steve had just been with him last night, had just been in bed with him. Tony felt a hand on his shoulder, pushing him towards a chair. He sat numbly and rubbed his hands together.

“So, who the hell could have done this?” Clint demanded.

From the distance, Tony heard a crack of thunder. He turned and saw Thor crash onto the landing pad.

“So it has happened here, as well?” he boomed.

Clint nodded and wrapped an arm around Thor’s huge shoulders. “Am I glad to see you,” he said. “Tell me this is some illusion, some trick of Asgard or something.”

Thor shook his head, looking grim. “Unfortunately, no. It did not effect myself or my beloved Jane because we had taken residence on Asgard. But…” he trailed off, looking out the window at the ruins of the city. “I fear this is one of Loki’s schemes.”

“Great. I fucking hate that guy,” Clint muttered.

“You think… maybe he killed Steve?” Bruce asked. He cleaned his glasses anxiously. “Maybe went back in time or something?”

“It is possible,” Thor agreed. “Loki has always had an affinity for darker magic. He could have found a way to send himself back into your past to change it for his evil plans.”

“So what do we do?” Natasha asked. “We have to find a way to go back in time.”

“It’s impossible,” Tony rasped. He rubbed his face and stood up. “There’s no way to go back in time. Science hasn’t caught up with that yet.”

“If Loki did it, so can we,” Bucky argued.

“I’m telling you, there’s no way back,” Tony bit out. “Unless we can get Loki and manage to steal the power from him.”

Thor looked around the room grimly. “I will find my brother,” he said decisively. “This time he has gone too far.” With that, he whirled Mjolnir and shot off through the roof and into the murky sky.

“ _This_ time he’s gone too far,” Clint muttered. “That guy’s been crazier than Charles Manson and Ted Bundy combined and this is the time he’s gone too far.”

“How are none of you concerned with the fact that Steve is _dead?”_ Tony cried out. He collapsed back on the couch and punched at his knees.

The room was silent for a long time. Finally Natasha sat next to Tony and rubbed his back soothingly.

“We’ll get him back,” she murmured. “We’ll think of something.”

\--------------------

Tony silently opened the door to Peter’s room and sat on the bed next to his son. Peter shifted in his sleep, curling closer to Tony’s side, so Tony petted Peter’s hair to settle him back down.

He wanted to scream, wanted to throw something or blow up a building or shove a ten- foot pole up Loki’s ass. Steve was _dead._ He’d been killed in the war, shot down on some battlefield and left to die, Tony had never known Steve in this world, in this universe.

Jesus, what the hell was going on?

He felt Peter shift again and then the boy was sitting up and blinking blearily. “Dad?” He rubbed his eyes and Tony smiled a bit. “Wha’s goin’ on?” Peter mumbled.

“It’s… complicated, Peter.” Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. “Remember Thor’s brother Loki? He’s messed some things up and we’re trying to get things back to normal. But you should come into the family room with us, just to be safe. Okay?”

“’Kay.” Peter crawled out of bed, trailing his blanket around his shoulders, and followed Tony down the hall and into the living room. He slid onto the couch and leaned tiredly against the armrest.

“Any word from Thor?” Tony asked. Natasha shook her head, looking out the window grimly.

“I swear to God, when we find Loki I'm gonna put an arrow in his eye socket,” Clint muttered. He squatted on the kitchen counter, angrily eating a bowl of cereal.

“We need him to get things back to normal,” Bruce reminded him. “Save the maiming for afterwards.”

“Dad, where’s Pop?” Peter asked suddenly. Tony choked down a groan. He should have known this was coming.

The team glanced to Tony as a group for a second before going eerily silent. Peter looked around and scrunched up his nose in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Tony sat next to the boy and wrapped him up in his arms. “Pop… he got caught in Loki’s trick, whatever it is,” he explained. “We’re gonna get him back, though.”

Peter opened his mouth again, probably to ask where exactly his Pop was, but Tony was saved by a whooshing noise and two demi- gods crashing through his ceiling. Thor really needed to learn to take the elevator.

“I have returned with my treacherous brother,” Thor announced unnecessarily. Loki glared up from his position on the floor under Thor’s boot.

“Oh good. Let’s get down to business, someone cover Peter’s eyes.” Clint whipped an arrow out from under the counter and jumped down, looking a bit murderous.

“Easy, there, Katniss,” Tony muttered. “Information first, maiming later.”

Loki grinned. “Lost souls, as usual,” he sneered. “What can I do for you pitiful mortals?”

“You can set things to right, asshole,” Sam said. “Bring Steve back and get rid of...” he gestured out the window to the smoldering city, “all this.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.” Loki pushed Thor off his chest and stood, brushing his sleeves. “Your good captain is lost to time.”

“Bullshit,” Bucky growled.

Peter watched Loki move with wide, fearful eyes. Tony reached forward and grabbed his son’s arm, pulling him into his lap and wrapping an arm around his chest. “I won’t let him hurt you,” Tony murmured, kissing his temple. Peter curled into Tony’s chest, one hand resting on the arc reactor.

“Why would you do this?” Natasha asked. “What do you have to gain from it?”

“All this,” Loki replied, gesturing around him. “Because of your petty war, your country was lost to this world. It was all too easy for me to arrive and snatch it from you.”

“So you get the power you always wanted.” Bruce cleaned his glasses, looking pissed. Tony secretly hoped he’d Hulk out and rip Loki to shreds. “No mess, no power struggle. Just your own private country to rule.”

“Precisely.” Loki grinned, whirling to face Thor. “Perhaps you and Father shouldn’t have underestimated my true powers.”

“You are a fool!” Thor boomed. “You have killed billions of innocent people with your actions.”

“It’s no concern of mine if a few humans are lost. They’re beneath me.”

Tony tangled his fingers gently in Peter’s hair. A _few_ humans? Billions of lives lost, including Steve’s, and Loki was brushing it off like he’d accidentally killed a fly or something.

Thor grabbed his brother’s collar and pulled him in close. “Listen to me, brother,” he growled. “You _will_ restore this world to rights, or I swear by our Father that I will end your life as carelessly as you have ended countless others.”

Loki swallowed hard, suddenly looking nervous. Good. Tony hoped he squirmed.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he protested, wincing when Thor tightened his grip. “What’s done is done. Your captain is gone.”

Tony’s mind was racing again, playing out every scenario he could think of. “Send us back,” he said suddenly. The room turned to look at him as one.

“You mean back to the 40s?” Bucky asked.

Tony shrugged. “He did it with Steve, he can do it with us. Tell him to send us back before April of 1945 so we can save Steve and restore our universe.”

Thor nodded, looking thoughtful. “It could work,” he mused. Wrenching Loki close until they were almost nose to nose, he growled out, “Brother, you will do this, or I will stop at nothing to hunt you down through the realms until you are nothing but a pile of ash.”

Loki swallowed again and pushed himself off Thor’s chest. “You want to save your precious captain?” he snarled. “So be it.”

A green light emanated through the room, engulfing the team. Loki sneered, waved a hand, and shouted, “Just don’t blame me if you find it more difficult than you imagined!”

With that, the world went dark.

\--------------------

“Dad?”

Tony groaned and rolled on his side to face Peter. “It’s too early,” he mumbled. Peter shook his head.

“Dad, where are we?” he asked. Tony blinked and looked around.

They were in a bedroom, small and cozy. Next to the bed, a small dresser held an old fashioned radio and a gas lamp. Other than that, the room was empty.

“I… did he really send us back?” Tony asked, glancing out the window. Outside, the street bustled with hundreds of people, dressed in long skirts and pressed trousers and suspenders. An old automobile rolled noisily by. “Holy shit, he really sent us back.”

There was a knock on the door, and then Natasha pushed it open and leaned against the frame. “He sent us back,” she said coolly. She was dressed in a knee length black skirt and white blouse. Tony grinned.

“You look adorable,” he told her.

“Don’t make me kill you in front of your son. Get dressed, the others are waiting downstairs.”

“Wait, downstairs of where? Which building is this?”

Natasha shrugged. “You tell me. It’s got your name on it.” With that, she closed the door silently. Tony heard her click down the hall in her heels.

Peter crawled off the bed and ran to the dresser. “Dad, look!” he said excitedly. “These look like they fit me.”

Tony glanced out the window again. He supposed he should be freaking out about now, but he’d learned to save his panic attacks for the really important things. Fortunately, magical assholes from other realms fucking with the universe no longer made that list.

“Alright, kiddo, get dressed and we’ll go see the rest of the team.” Tony turned from the window and clapped his hands briskly. Peter nodded and started tearing the dresser apart, looking for clothes.

Once they were dressed—and the clothes fit them exactly, and wasn’t that a coincidence—they made their way downstairs where everyone else was waiting. Sure enough, a sign hung on the door, proclaiming ‘Stark Tower’ in bold letters.

“Apparently Dad had an apartment complex. Who knew.” Tony shrugged and followed everyone outside.

“Where’s Bucky?” Sam asked.

“Maybe because he lived in this time… he’s in his house? His real house?” Clint guessed.

“We’ll have to find him later. Right now Steve is our priority,” Natasha replied. “We should find Brooklyn and go from there.”

Peter tugged on Tony’s hand and pointed to a large sign out in the street. “Dad, it’s your name again.”

Tony looked and saw a billboard proudly proclaiming ‘Stark Expo’ complete with a hand drawn flying car and a picture of Howard Stark’s smiling face. “That’s probably a good place to start,” he said. “Steve signed up for Erskine’s experiment at the Expo, right?”

As they walked, Tony took note of everything they passed. It was like one of those old classic movies, like _Casablanca_ or _Maltese Falcon_ , like any second a man in a fedora and trench coat would go running down the street chasing a mob of gangsters. _Kudos to Hollywood for getting their research right,_ he thought to himself.

Peter bounced from brick to brick, apparently unconcerned with their current situation. He was wearing old scuffed shoes and torn trousers and bright red suspenders, and a worn cap a bit too large for his head fell over his ears. It was actually a little adorable, though Tony would never tell him so out loud.

“I could do this all day.” A familiar voice carried through the street from behind a corner. Tony froze and peeked into the alleyway. And standing with his back against a wall, holding a trash can lid as a shield, was Steve. Steve before his serum transformation, small and skinny and frail. _Holy shit._

“Did you hear that?” Clint whispered. Bucky was there now, in full uniform, dragging the other guy off Steve and throwing him back towards the street.

“This is a little eerie,” Sam muttered.  Tony waved at him to shut it and peeked back around the corner.

“Sometimes I think you like getting punched,” Bucky was saying.

“I had him on the ropes,” Steve defended. Tony smiled and turned back to look at the team.

“We’re getting close,” he told them. “Steve told me about this once. Bucky’s last night in America, they went to the Expo to celebrate. All we have to do is follow them and we’re in.”

There was no need. As Tony spoke, the world around them shifted and morphed until they were smack- dab in the center of the Stark Expo.

Clint blinked. “Did anyone else notice that?”

“We must be going through Steve’s most important memories,” Natasha replied, glancing around. “We’re not in the past, we’re in _Steve’s_ past. His experiences, his memories. We’re jumping.”

“That’s bullshit,” Sam spat out. Tony covered Peter’s ears and glared at him. “Sorry, sorry. But how are we going to know when he’s supposed to die if we keep jumping?”

“This is just a wild guess, but I'm going to say that we’ll know when we see him die,” Clint grinned.

“We’re not going that far,” Tony said firmly. “If this is Steve’s past, there has to be a way to wake him up and get out of it before we hit that point. We just have to remind Steve that he belongs in the 21st century, get him away from this loop Loki’s thrown him in, and we’re home free.”

“Dad?” Peter looked up and pried Tony’s hands away from his ears. “Isn’t that Pop and Uncle Bucky over there?” He pointed and Tony saw Steve with Bucky and two other girls, making their way through the crowd.

“Do you think Bucky remembers the 21st century, or is he caught, too?” Sam asked. Tony shrugged.

“Only one way to find out.”

They pushed through the crowd, eyes on Steve and Bucky. When they were directly behind him, Tony pushed Bucky lightly on his shoulder. He turned, about to yell at them, but froze when he saw their faces.

 _How the hell did you get here?_ he mouthed. Tony shrugged.

 _Not important. Steve?_ he replied.

 _Doesn’t remember yet._ Bucky shrugged. _I’m working on it._

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Howard Stark!”

Tony froze, staring at the stage. His father strolled on stage, waving at the crowd and pulling in one of the stage girls for a kiss.

“That’s a little bizarre,” he heard Bruce murmur from behind him.

“That’s a lot more than a little bizarre,” Tony managed. Peter tugged on his sleeve.

“That guy looks like you, Dad,” he said.

Tony reached down and scooped Peter up, groaning a bit. Peter really was getting too big to be carried, but Tony couldn’t bear to think of that right now. He needed his son close. “That man is your grandfather,” he whispered to Peter.

“How come I’ve never met him?”

“He died a long time ago.”

“Can I meet him now?”

Tony sighed. The last thing he wanted was Peter meeting that mess of a man. “We’ll see, kiddo.”

“Holy cow,” Bucky muttered. Tony turned his attention to the stage and saw Howard’s car invention lift off the stage and hover in mid- air. There were gasps and cries through the crowd, and then the car sparked and crashed to the stage floor again. Tony grinned. For all his father’s genius he was limited by the time he lived in.

When Tony turned back, Steve was gone. “Damn it,” he muttered. Peter wriggled down from his father’s grip and they pushed through the crowd, pushing as they went until they were in front of the recruitment station.

“How are we gonna get in?” Sam asked.

Tony nodded to the ‘I Want You’ sign. “Any and all eligible men wanted,” he said. He grinned at the team. “There’s five of those on this team, plus a dame who kicks more ass than any of us combined. I’m pretty sure we can worm our way in.”

“What about the kid?” Clint asked. Peter glared at him.

“Bucky used to live on his father’s military base when he was younger,” Natasha spoke up. “If Tony gets recruited Peter can come with us under the same circumstances.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Tony asked.

Natasha smiled, slow and secretive. “Ask me again some other time.”

“I’m not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky!” Steve’s voice, sure and clear, halted their conversation. “Come on, there are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me.”

Tony smiled. God knew he loved that man when he got all righteous and patriotic. He idly rubbed his wedding ring with his thumb.

“Yeah, ‘cause you got nothing to prove.” Bucky shook his head.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw a wiry older man in glasses watching Steve and Bucky argue. _Must be Erskine,_ he thought. An idea popped in his head.

“Come on, follow my lead,” he whispered to the others. Strolling past Steve casually, he made his way to the scientist.

“Dr. Erskine, my name is Tony Edwards. I’m assigned to work with Howard on the new project,” he introduced, holding out his hand.

“Ah yes, for Rebirth,” Erskine nodded, shaking his hand. “I wasn’t aware that Howard had a partner.”

“Just assigned from the Army. This is my team,” he nodded to the others, who waved and nodded hello. “And this is my son, Peter.”

“Are you engineers in the habit of bringing your children to work?” Erskine asked.

“Since we’re heading to London for the project, it was approved by the general.”

Erskine nodded again. “Well, then, I look forward to working with you.”

Tony stepped away and looked back toward Steve. Bucky was backing up, rolling his eyes. “Just don’t do anything stupid while I'm gone.”

“How can I?” Steve grinned. “You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

“You’re a punk.”

“Jerk.” Steve hugged him, clapping him on the back. “Be careful. Don’t win the war ‘till I get there.”

“Tony Edwards?” Bruce muttered.

“If I go around introducing myself as ‘Stark’, people are gonna start asking questions,” Tony replied. “This way we can pretend we were hired for the job.”

“And when the Army starts asking questions?”

“We tell them Erskine and his team hired us.”

“Like a double agent, only less thought out and a lot more stupid,” Clint muttered.

“Go to hell, birdbrain,” Tony shot back.

The scene melted again, and they were outside a curtained room. It was open enough that they could hear and see what was going on.

“Where are you from, Mr. Rogers?” Erskine was asking. “Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities…”

“That might not be the right file,” Steve cut in.

“No, it’s not the exams I'm interested in. It’s the five tries. But you didn’t answer my question: do you want to kill Nazis?”

Steve glanced around, confused. “Is this a test?”

Erskine shrugged. “Yes.”

“I don’t wanna kill anyone,” Steve said after a second. “I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.”

Tony fell a little bit more in love with his husband. Skinny and short and rife with medical problems, and it was still his Steve.

“Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need is a little guy.” Erskine nodded, seemingly convinced. “I can offer you a chance. Only a chance.”

The team stepped back and around a corner as Erskine pulled the curtain open and headed for the enlistment desk.

Steve jumped up, following him out. “I’ll take it.”

“So where is the little guy from, actually?” Erskine raised an eyebrow smugly, stamping a form and signing briskly.

Steve grinned. “Brooklyn."

Erskine handed him the file and nodded. “Congratulations, soldier.”

With that, the world faded around them once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO POSTING IT! I promise the rest will come much faster after this, I had to find a link so I could get the actual script for the movie and that took forever, and then as soon as I found one I moved and didn't have internet for about a week. But it's up! I promise it's not abandoned!!
> 
> Also, Tony still loving skinny!Steve does things to me. Horrible, terrible things. You should probably expect more of that.
> 
> Also also, I am under the firm belief that Loki is a little shit. So this isn't a pity party fic for him, just fair warning. He knew what he was doing, the Norse bastard.
> 
> I do not own anything Marvel. Captain America is Marvel's property. I claim no rights to it. This is purely for entertainment purposes.


	3. Red is for Hell

“Gentlemen, I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations in this division.” Tony watched as a stiff, curt woman with brown curls walked briskly along the line of new recruits. A young Peggy Carter. He’d remembered her, a bit, from his father’s work, but she’d been much older then. Tony could see why Steve had had a crush on her.

Peter tugged his shirtsleeve. “She’s pretty, Dad.” Tony grinned. Apparently he and Steve shared the same taste.

“What’s with the accent, Queen Victoria?” A brutish younger man with a thick drawl smirked as Peggy passed by. “Thought I was signing up for the American army.”

Peggy turned and glared. “What’s your name, soldier?”

“Gilmore Hodge, your Majesty.”

“Step forward, Hodge.” He obliged, flashing a smirk at his other companions as he did.

“Put your right foot forward,” Peggy ordered.

“We gonna rassle? ‘Cause I got a few moves I know you’ll like.” Hodge winked.

She punched him straight across the jaw, sending him sprawling.

“I like her,” Natasha commented.

Tony saw Steve smile secretly and reminded himself not to be jealous of Peggy. Sweet, wonderful Peggy who’d always been nice to Tony and who just happened to have been Steve’s first love.

_Damn it, I fucking hate my low self- esteem,_ he groaned internally.

An older man appeared, sporting a colonel’s uniform and a leather jacket. “Agent Carter, I see you’re breaking in the new recruits. That’s good.” He stood over the fallen recruit and grimaced. “Get your ass out of that dirt and stand in line at attention ‘till somebody comes and tells you what to do.”

Hodge scrambled to do as he was ordered, sniffing to prevent the blood from flowing out of his nose. “Yes, sir.”

“So do we actually have a plan for all this?” Clint asked as they watched the colonel survey the troops. “Other than the desperate, clinging hope that we might be able to snap Steve out of his memories that is also somehow the past but isn’t because we keep melting into new memories?”

“For the last time,” Bruce reminded him. “We’re stuck in Steve’s past. It’s still technically the past, but we’re floating through his most important memories of said past.”

“So how can everyone else see us?”

“Because it’s still time travel, and we’re still solid objects of matter that have been thrown into the past.”

Clint rubbed his temples. “I am so confused.”

“It is similar to an alternate dimension,” Thor explained. “This is the alternate universe of the Captain’s memories of his past.”

“Okay, whatever, fuck the science part—”

Tony glared and said, “Can you please watch your language around the ten year old?”

“What exactly _is_ our plan?” Clint continued.

Natasha was still watching the scene unfold. Tony caught something about the “Strategic Scientific Reserve” and “best minds in the free world”. He snorted. That little speech had probably boosted Howard’s ego through the roof at the time.

“Where’s Bucky?” she asked suddenly.

“This was when the 107th was on duty in England, before they were captured by Hydra,” Tony replied.

“So we don’t have his assistance to get Steve out of this stupor.” She eyed Peggy. “Maybe we should tell her, enlist her help.”

“If we do that it’ll alter our future,” Bruce argued. “This is still Steve’s past. Affecting anything major in it could alter Steve’s future. We could end up in a world where Steve doesn’t know us, or where he’s still frozen…”

“Unless we’re supposed to be part of his past,” Natasha interrupted. Bruce fell silent, staring at her.

Then his eyes widened. “That could be possible,” he said excitedly. “If we’re here, we’ve created a past where we’re supposed to be here, and therefore anything we do is exactly what happens in Steve’s past. Therefore, we would be changing his future if we _don’t_ do whatever it is we end up doing!”

Clint groaned. “Jesus Christ, I hate time travel,” he moaned.

“Scene’s changing,” Natasha told them.

It was less of a melting, this time, and more like some cosmic power had pressed the fast forward button. They watched Steve go through basic training, climbing ropes and crawling under barbed wire fences. Tony grimaced when Hodge kicked a pole from the course and the wire fell on Steve, scratching his arms and back. Steve just gritted his teeth and kept pushing through. _Atta boy, baby,_ he mentally cheered.

The next scene was a group jog. The unit paused under a flag, where Peggy was waiting in an Army Jeep only a few feet from where they were standing. A faded brown flag proudly waved ‘Fort Lehigh’ in yellowish letters.

“Up the pace, ladies!” the drill sergeant called. Steve was lagging behind the group, struggling to keep up pace with the others. Tony winced.

“How come Pop isn’t running fast like he usually does?” Peter asked.

“This was before the serum,” Sam reminded him. “Your Pop had guts, just not muscles to back them up.”

Peter scowled as the drill sergeant yelled at the group. “I don’t like that guy.”

“Nobody likes that guy in the Army, kid.”

Clint glanced over at the Jeep. “How come nobody’s mentioned that we’re just standing here, watching these jerks try to climb a flag pole?”

Tony shrugged. “Time to go make friends with the locals.” He sauntered over, rapping on the hood of the Jeep with his knuckles. Peggy turned and cocked an eyebrow.

“Mr. Edwards, what are you doing away from camp?” she asked.

“Wanted to check out the fresh meat,” Tony replied. “Since I’ll be involved with Rebirth, I figured I should see who we’re dealing with.” He eyed Hodge as he struggled up the pole for a second before his hands slipped and he fell. “Not exactly top- notch in the brains department, huh?”

Peggy glanced at the unit disdainfully. “Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a perfect candidate in this lot so far.”

“How about that kid?” Tony nodded at Steve.

Peggy’s lips curled into an almost- smile. “Seems that Rogers has the exact opposite troubles as the others in this unit,” she replied. “All brains, no brawn.”

“Fortunately, we can fix that, eh?”

The drill sergeant called for the men to fall back into line, but Steve remained on the outskirts, glancing up to the flag. He walked over, eyeing the bottom of the pole.

“Rogers!” the sergeant screamed. “I said fall in!”

Steve bent down and worked the latch for the bottom of the pole. It creaked and fell, clattering as it hit the ground. Steve picked up the flag and handed it to the sergeant.

“Thank you, sir,” he said sincerely. Peggy was full on grinning now.

Steve nodded to Tony as he passed by and climbed in the truck.

“We’ll meet you back at camp, Mr. Edwards. Dr. Banner.” Peggy turned and nodded to them briskly as the Jeep sped off.

The unit ran off again and Tony turned. “He nodded to me, maybe that’s a good sign,” he said hopefully.

“Or maybe he’s just a respectful soldier and thinks you’re somebody important,” Sam replied.

“You shut up and let me dream.”

Natasha crossed her arms, leaning against the tree. “Peggy noticed you and Bruce,” she said finally. “She addressed you two by name, even though you and her haven’t met yet.”

“They haven’t met as far as we’ve seen,” Bruce corrected. “Just because we’re passing through the important memories doesn’t necessarily mean that _we’re_ passing through.”

“We need more than that, Doc,” Sam said.

“We must still be interacting with everyone else. Even though we don’t see it, we’re still meeting people, interacting with them socially. Maybe Loki is just… skipping through, showing us what he wants us to see.”

“That would make more sense than the bullshit ‘Steve’s important memories’ shtick,” Clint muttered.

“So Loki’s got the remote and he’s pressing whatever button he feels like.” Tony sighed. “Fantastic. I hate magic.”

\--------------------

“Faster, ladies, come on. My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul.” Peggy walked through the line of troops as they struggled through push- ups. Steve was practically collapsing on the ground, but he still continued to lift himself up and try again. Tony’s heart melted at the sight.

Colonel Phillips and Erskine walked by, and Erskine nodded to Tony.

“Mr. Edwards, Dr. Banner, please come join us,” he waved. Tony and Bruce glanced at each other, shrugged, and hurried to catch up with the pair.

“You’re not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?” he asked.

Erskine shrugged and adjusted his glasses. “I wasn’t just thinking about it. He is the clear choice.”

“When you brought a 90 pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, what the hell, maybe he’d be useful to you, like a gerbil.” Tony scowled at the colonel’s back. “I never thought you’d pick him.”

The troops stood and began jumping jacks. “You stick a needle in that kid’s arm it’s gonna go right through him,” Colonel Phillips continued. He nodded towards Steve, who was struggling to keep his arms up. “Look at that. He’s making me cry.”

“I am looking for qualities beyond the physical,” Erskine protested.

“Sir, if I may,” Bruce cut in. “The serum is designed for more than just brute strength. It enhances emotions, as well.” Erskine gestured towards Bruce and nodded, as if to say, _see?_

“Do you know how long it took to set up this project?” Phillips asked them. “All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator What’s-His-Name’s committees?”

“Yes, I know, I am well aware of your efforts.”

“Then throw me a bone.” Phillips waved an arm at Hodge. “Hodge passed every test we gave him. He’s big, he’s fast, he obeys orders. He’s a soldier.”

“If you pick Hodge, you’ll have a disaster waiting to happen,” Tony cut in.

“Mr. Edwards is right. He is a bully,” Erskine told Phillips.

“You don’t win wars with niceness, Doctor,” Phillips scowled. “You win wars with guts.”

Tony glanced over at the truck they were standing by and grabbed a grenade from one of the crates. “So test them,” he suggested. He deactivated the grenade neatly and handed it to the colonel. Phillips smirked, turned, and chucked the bomb.

“Grenade!” he called. The other men flailed about, running for cover. Steve, never flinching, charged straight for the grenade, dropping down on it and waving to the other men.

“Get away!” he called. “Get back!” The others watched, tense, waiting for the detonation.

Tony smirked as the colonel scowled at the scene before them. When there was no explosion, Steve pried his eyes open and sat up, looking confused. Eventually the other men climbed out of their hiding places, calling that it was a dummy. Even Peggy looked proud of Steve.

“Is this a test?” Steve asked her.

“He’s still skinny,” Colonel Phillips mumbled before marching off. Erskine watched him go, smiling. He turned to Tony.

“How did you know that Steven would try to sacrifice himself?” he asked. Tony shrugged.

_Because he’s a self- sacrificing, reckless son of a bitch._ “Just a lucky guess. I'm good at reading people,” he told the doctor. Erskine nodded, looking pleased.

“Then I will see you, Dr. Banner, and your assistants in the morning for Project Rebirth,” he said.

The next thing Tony knew, he was in the passenger seat of an old automobile. The rest of the group was gone.

“I know this neighborhood,” he heard Steve say in his Brooklyn drawl (which Tony secretly adored, he so rarely got to hear it from his Steve). He turned around and saw Steve and Peggy sitting comfortably in the backseat of the car. Tony grimaced and reminded himself once again that he shouldn’t be jealous, that he’d had countless other relationships (and that was using that term lightly) before Steve and it was perfectly normal for Steve to have had someone else before Tony that he had loved. Besides, it would be petty to be jealous of a woman who was forty years older than him and dead in his time.

“I got beat up in that alley,” Steve continued, pointing out the window. “And in that parking lot. And behind that diner.” Tony grinned. Steve never knew when to back away from a fight.

“Did you have something against running away?” Peggy echoed his own thoughts.

Steve shook his head and shrugged. “You start running they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, push back, they can’t say no forever, right?”

“I know a little of what that’s like,” Peggy replied. “To have every door shut in your face.”

“I guess I don’t know why you’d wanna join the army, since you’re a beautiful dame.” Steve’s eyes widened and he blinked and backtracked, “Beautiful woman. A… woman. An agent, not a dame. You are beautiful, but…” This was getting painful.

“You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?” Tony asked, unable to help himself.

Steve grinned shyly at him in the rearview mirror. “I think this is the longest conversation I’ve had with one.” He glanced at Peggy, then down at his shoes. “Women aren’t exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.”

“You must have danced,” Peggy murmured. Tony grinned, because he knew for a fact that Steve hadn’t danced, that he hated dancing. Even at their wedding Steve had insisted only one dance, and an easy one at that, one that would be easy for him to master. He had still stepped on Tony’s toes.

“Asking a woman to dance always seemed so terrifying. Then the past few years, it just… didn’t seem to matter much. Figured I’d wait,” Steve replied.

“For what?”

Steve stared firmly out the window. “The right partner.”

Tony was deciding whether to gag or swoon at that.

They arrived at the lab after passing through an elaborate entrance in an old antique shop (and Tony was very impressed, though he’d never tell anyone. He was fairly certain that Howard had had a hand in the design and he didn’t want to boost the man’s ego any more). Steve headed for the railing and looked down at the swarm of scientists and machines. All activity paused as they returned his gaze in unison. Eventually, Peggy gestured and Steve followed her down a set of steps. Tony took the other set and wound up right next to Erskine and Bruce.

“Where’re the others?” he murmured to Bruce.

Bruce nodded to Natasha and Clint, who were standing dutifully by a large beeping machine. “The others are up in the observation room. We had a bit of a mishap getting Sam in, though. He was not pleased.”

Tony rolled his eyes. He’d forgotten about the inherent, repulsive racism of the 20th century.

“What about Peter?” he asked.

“We had some trouble getting him in, too, but Thor just puffed out his chest and stared the MPs down until they relented and let him pass.” Bruce smiled wryly. “Colonel Phillips might have played a part in getting him in, too. Peter’s already asking him about war stories and what all his medals are for. I think Phillips likes him.”

A cameraman flashed a picture of Erskine and Steve before the doctor waved him off. “Ready?” Erskine asked. Steve nodded silently. “Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat.”

Erskine came over to the men as Steve scrambled to comply with his orders. “Is the machine ready?” he asked Tony. Tony nodded, hoping that it was in fact ready and Howard was successful.

“Doctor, if I may ask?” Bruce interrupted. He nodded towards Steve, who was lying on the table in the center of the room. “What… what happens if the serum fails?”

Tony knew that Bruce had been attempting to emulate Erskine’s serum when he had accidentally transformed into the Hulk. He absently wondered if they should attempt to get the serum’s formula from the doctor now, but immediately dismissed the idea. The 21st century couldn’t handle that kind of power. One supersoldier was enough.

Erskine smiled. “I assure you, Dr. Banner, this serum will not fail. I have perfected it and guarantee that it will turn our friend here into the soldier this war needs without damaging the brave, good man that he is inside.” He waved them over to the table, and Tony nodded to Natasha as they passed by. The three of them gathered around Steve.

“Comfortable?” Erskine asked.

Steve chuckled. “It’s a little big.” Erskine smiled. “Save me any of that Schnapps?” he continued.

“Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time.” Erskine almost sounded guilty. Almost. Tony was liking this guy more and more. _Too bad about what happens next,_ he thought. “Mr. Stark,” he continued. Tony bit back the urge to respond. “How are your levels?”

“Levels at 100%.” Howard’s voice sounded by Tony’s ear and he jumped back a bit. Howard just smirked at him before turning his attention to Steve. “We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready. As we’ll ever be.” Howard was gazing at Steve like he was some kind of prize meat. It was a little bizarre.

_My dead father is ogling my future husband. My life is so messed up._

Erskine began his announcement to the group gathered in the observation room, and Tony turned to Natasha quickly. “Once Erskine dies, we’ll probably be carted off to the war,” he said urgently. “Loki’s not gonna make us follow Steve’s road trip across the nation selling war bonds. Just in case he pulls some dick move—and I wouldn’t put it past him—be prepared that we’ll be thrown into a war zone.”

“What about Peter?” Natasha asked. She nodded towards the booth, where Peter was pressed excitedly against the glass. The businessmen surrounding him eyed the boy disdainfully, but Thor’s fearsome glare kept them from making a fuss about it.

“God willing, Loki won’t throw him in there with us.” Tony scowled up at the ceiling and hissed, “Hear that, asshole? Do us one favor, one teensy insignificant favor, and keep my son out of the war zone, or I’ll shove that horned helmet so far up your ass you won’t find it for a month.”

“If Loki does pull a stunt like that, I’ll stay behind with the kid,” Clint offered. “We’ll hang out in the woods until the coast is clear and Loki sends us off to a peaceful scene.”

“Serum fusion beginning in 5…” Bruce rushed towards Erskine and Tony headed to stand by Howard’s side. Natasha returned to her place by one of the machines. “4… 3… 2… 1.” Erskine nodded towards Howard. “Now, Mr. Stark.”

Howard nodded and pulled a small red lever. Tony read him off a few o the readings, marveling at the machine while he did. For the limits of his father’s day and age, Howard had made a damn good machine.

Then the machines were whirring, and the lights were flickering, and Howard was turning the wheel of the Vita- Ray and calling out the percentage as he passed. Tony noticed that the control panel was starting to smoke, so he rushed behind the table and pulled a plate off to expose the wiring system. He strung a few of the wires together, tore a few apart, and the machine returned to normal. Howard nodded to him from behind the panel and continued turning the wheel. _That might be the best compliment that man ever gave me._

Steve was screaming now, and Tony glanced worriedly towards the observation deck. Fortunately, Thor was pressing his hands tightly to Peter’s ears so he wouldn’t hear anything. Grimacing at the sound of Steve’s agony, Tony pressed on, pushing buttons when Howard directed him to and typing in commands to keep the machine stable.

“That’s one hundred percent!” Howard called. The machines all sparked in unison and the lights flickered off and back on. The machine powered itself down and the doors to the machine opened.

And out stepped his Steve, six foot three and muscled just as Tony remembered. He smiled wistfully. _Good to have you back._

The scene faded again.

\--------------------

“Colonel Phillips.”

“Well, if it isn’t the Star Spangled Man with a Plan.” Phillips glanced up from his desk as Steve entered the tent. “What is your plan today?”

“I need the casualty list from Azzano,” Steve demanded.

“You don’t get to give the orders, son.”

“I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th.”

Tony glanced around the tent. The others were gathered around, watching the scene nervously. Peter hopped onto Tony’s lap and curled against his chest. He was getting too big for that, but Tony let him anyways.

“At least he didn’t throw us into combat just yet,” Clint whispered.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Tony replied. “This is right when Steve barged into enemy territory to get Bucky back from Hydra.”

“Great. Just once I’d like for that guy to think before he throws himself into dangerous, stupid situations.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Mr. Edwards?” Tony whipped around to face Steve, who was looking at him hopefully.

“Umm… yes?” he choked out. This was the first time this Steve had directly made contact with him. Then again, with how much time they had been skipping it was entirely possible that they were close friends by now.

“I… I’m going to save my friend,” he said quietly. “I’d like your help, if it’s not too much to ask.”

“What… what do you need, Cap?” Tony asked. He set Peter next to him on the bench and stood up.

“I hear you’re good with armor. And weapons. Care to break into the armory and help me find what I’ll need to get him out?”

“Why the hell not,” he shrugged.

“Can I come, Dad?” Peter asked with wide eyes. Tony bent down and kissed his forehead.

“You stay here with Natasha and the others,” he murmured.

“You’re gonna bring Pop back to normal, right?” Peter whispered.

“You bet it, kiddo.” Peter grinned and Tony straightened up. “Lead the way, Cap.”

Steve glanced at Tony as they walked. “Any reason you brought your son across the ocean to an army base in the middle of a war?” he asked.

“He’s my good luck charm,” Tony replied. “And I can’t leave him behind. I just can’t.”

“I get it. Bucky grew up on an army base, too.” Steve smiled sadly. “I just hope he’s still alive.”

Tony slapped his shoulder and bit back a wince at the familiar warmth of his husband’s arm. “I’m sure he’s fine,” he managed encouragingly. “But while we’re walking, tell me, how do you feel about the future?”

“What about it?” Steve’s brow furrowed in confusion.

_Subtle, Stark._ “You know, just… what you plan to do once the war’s over.”

“If it’s ever over.”

“Assume it is. What would you do?”

Steve shrugged. “Back in New York, I used to draw and paint. I could… I don’t know… maybe I could be an artist or something. Comic books are getting big these days, maybe I can do some artwork for that.”

They stopped outside the armory and Tony nodded towards the back. “How about a family?”

“My mom died a few years ago. I never knew my dad. Hey, didn’t they give you an ID when you started working with Stark?”

Tony shoved his hands in his pocket and pulled out an official looking card. “Huh.” He flashed it at the guard and they were let inside the tent. “Anyways, I mean a family of your own.” He browsed through a few of the guns. “Settle down, find a wife…” he glanced at Steve’s back, “Or a husband.”

Steve stiffened and turned to gape at him. “Are you… that’s illegal, Tony!”

Tony ignored the rush of warmth when Steve said his name. “No one’s around to hear it,” he coaxed. “If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”

“I…” Steve looked guilty now, so Tony grabbed a gun and handed it to him.

“Here, try this.”

“Thanks. And I really don’t think… we really shouldn’t be discussing this…” Steve glanced towards the tent’s entrance.

_Fuck this._ Steve could internalize his homosexual tendencies all he wanted, but Tony was getting sick of the 1940s. He grabbed Steve’s collar, pulled him in, and pressed a kiss to his lips, pouring in all the love he had for the other man.

Steve’s kiss was soft and sweet, just the way Tony remembered it. He cautiously put an arm around Tony’s waist and angled his head so he could continue the kiss. _At least he’s into it._

After a moment, Steve pulled away just far enough to stare wonderingly at Tony. “I don’t…” he started.

Tony felt the world shift and pushed away from Steve a bit. The room warped and Tony managed to get out, “Please remember, Steve,” before the scene shifted to a dense forest.

_“Tony, we’ve found the last Hydra base,”_ he heard Steve call over a radio by his side.

Clint turned and glanced at Tony. “Isn’t that when JARVIS said Steve died?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for 2 new chapters for 2 stories in one day! Just as a quick disclaimer, I do not own any rights to Marvel or any of its movies or comics.
> 
> I hope you all like it!


	4. A Life Full of Color

“Mother fucker.” Tony growled and kicked at the snow by his feet. “I almost got him to remember.”

“Well, we’re running out of time now,” Bruce replied. “Peter can stay with Clint, he’s agreed to provide distance support, but we need to get in there. Now.”

Natasha crossed her arms and surveyed the building. “There’s an entrance on the east wing,” she said finally. “We can get in through there. Bruce, you’d better stay behind. If these men see the Hulk come out of nowhere they’ll think you’re a Hydra experiment and then we’ll be the bad guys.”

Bruce nodded and stepped back to stand by Clint.

Tony sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “What if we don’t get to him in time?” he whispered to Natasha, too low for anyone else to here. Natasha shrugged and kept her eyes on the complex below them.

“We’ll get to him,” she said simply. Tony sincerely hoped she was right.

Peter came up and wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist. “Can you give Pop a hug for me when you see him?” he asked. Tony stroked his son’s hair and smiled.

“You give it to him yourself,” he told Peter. He bent down, kissed Peter’s head, and gently removed his hands. “You be good for Clint, okay? I’ll see you real soon.”

Peter nodded and stepped back. “Go get Pop now,” he insisted.

The trek down the hill was perilous to say the least. Sam slid several times in the process, and at one point Thor got so fed up he tried to fly down until Natasha reminded him that, once again, these men had never seen someone fly and they were trying to keep a low profile. Tony just focused on what was in front of him.

_My not- yet- husband from the 1940s has just rushed in to what could possibly be an inevitable death all because some magical asshole waved his stupid glow stick and changed history. I hate my life._

“Any more chatter over the radio?” Natasha asked. It had been oddly silent since Steve’s last transmission to Tony.

Tony paused in his trek and fiddled with the dials. “Nothing. Hydra must have a signal jammer or something.”

Wherever Steve was, he was on his own until they could get in.

\--------------------

Peter huddled under his jacket and peered through the binoculars Uncle Clint had given him. He could just barely made out Dad and the others as they headed for the east entrance.

“See them?” Uncle Bruce asked. Peter nodded.

“Barely, but yeah. Are you sure we can save Pop?”

Uncle Bruce rubbed his hair and nodded. “Your Pop will be just fine. They’ll make sure of it.”

Uncle Clint lowered his bow and glared. “And when we get back to our time, I’m shoving that magic stick straight up Loki’s—”

“Maybe you should watch the language around the impressionable pre- teen,” Uncle Bruce cut in. “Tony might actually kill you for that.”

Peter frowned. He knew what Uncle Clint was going to say, being around a bunch of other pre- teens with parents that freely cussed tended to do that for a kid, but he let it slide. He didn’t want to be grounded over something like that. “How long do we have to wait here?” he asked instead.

“Hopefully not long. My fingers’ll fall off if they stay like this for too long,” Uncle Clint replied.

Peter shivered and stuffed his own hands further in his sleeves.

\--------------------

Tony seriously wished he had the armor.

Right now he felt exposed, defenseless and weak. Natasha had insisted they stay together, so they were checking the north wing while Sam and Thor took care of the south.

“What if we’re too late?” he murmured as they rounded another corner. “What if we get there and that bastard has already killed Steve—”

“Tony, you’re going to give yourself a panic attack,” Natasha shushed. “We’ll get there with plenty of time.”

A crackling sounded over the radio Tony carried. _“Tony, are you there?”_ a garbled voice said. Tony heard gunfire in the background and winced.

He pressed back against the wall and turned up the radio. “Steve? Is that you?”

 _“Tony we’ve… Red Skull… in… going after…west…”_ The voice drifted in and out for a few moments before fading completely. Tony banged against the side of the radio and groaned.

“He said west,” Natasha said. “Maybe that’s where Schmidt and Steve are.”

Tony tried once more in vain to get the signal back. “There’s only one way to find out,” he shrugged finally. Natasha took her gun out and together they made their way down the halls.

The radio crackled and came to life. Tony ducked into a corner and turned the volume up again, praying that Steve was alive.

 _“Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone,”_ a thick German voice said. _“But, there are limits to what even you can do.”_ Tony opened his mouth to reply, terrified that Schmidt had killed Steve already, when Natasha clamped her hand over his mouth.

“He’s talking to Steve,” she murmured. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. “We need to go,” she continued. “We can find Steve and get him out, and the Commandos will take care of the rest.” Tony nodded and they headed down the hallways again, keeping a close ear to the radio.

“ _Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?”_ Schmidt continued.

 _“He told me you were insane.”_ Steve, beautiful Steve, sounded so confident and sure. Natasha kicked a door down and fired off three succinct shots, killing the guards that stood by an enormous metal doorway.

“Ten bucks says he’s in there,” Tony said. He tried the door, but it was locked with a keypad and what looked like some old- fashioned fingerprint scanner. “I can hack it, but it’ll take time. Time we don’t have.”

Natasha pulled out her own radio and turned a few dials. “I’m calling in the Commandos. You get to work on that,” she told Tony. He nodded and set about tearing the wiring off the keypad. Next to him, the radio continued broadcasting Steve and Schmidt’s conversation. Schmidt was starting to sound angry.

“Tell them to hurry,” Tony muttered.

 _“He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine.”_ Jesus, this guy sounded crazy. _“But he gave you everything. So, what makes you so special?”_

Tony could practically hear the smirk in Steve’s voice. _“Nothin’,”_ he replied. “ _I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”_

“God, I love this man,” Tony said. Natasha rolled her eyes and put her radio away.

“Commandos are two minutes out. They’ve got a location on Steve’s radio signal,” she told him.

The radio crackled, then three quick, succinct punches sounded over the comm. Tony heard Steve grunt and a muffled bang, then labored breathing. He growled and clenched his fists, wishing Schmidt was in front of him so he could rip his heart out.

 _“I can do this all day,_ ” he heard Steve leer.

 _“Oh of course you can, of course, but unfortunately I am on a tight schedule.”_ There was a metallic sound, vaguely similar to the repulsors firing up, and Tony realized it was a gun. He let out a choked gasp and gripped the radio. They were too late. Schmidt was going to shoot Steve and…

From behind the door, they heard glass breaking, then explosions and gunfire. Someone was shouting in German, then American voices and more gunshots.

“Sounds like the Commandos went in,” he said. He connected two more wires, and the doors finally shot open.

Inside the room was utter chaos. The Commandos were steadily firing off shots, killing the Hydra guards and destroying machinery. Falsworth tossed Steve his shield, shouting, “You might need this!”

Steve caught it one- handed and turned to chase after Schmidt. Natasha fired off a shot and killed another guard before turning to Tony. “Go after him, and get him back. I’ll be right behind you,” she said. Tony nodded and took off after his husband.

\--------------------

Steve raced down the hallways, focusing on the Red Skull. Cluttered thoughts ran through his mind. _Have to avenge Bucky. Have to stop him. Have to get home…_

That last one nearly floored him. He didn’t have anything back home, his mom was dead and Bucky was dead and there was nothing for him in Brooklyn. Why would he ever want to go back?

A broken image flashed suddenly in his mind: a little boy with brown curls grinning up at him, of a man with long blond hair throwing a hammer, of a red- haired woman and a blonde man sparring. Faster and faster the images spun, until with a flash they were gone again. Steve shook his head to clear it and continued on.

 Schmidt had a gun now, and was firing it at anything that moved. Steve ducked a few of the glowing blue balls and threw his shield, hoping to catch Schmidt. Instead, it jammed a door open.

Another image flashed in his head, of someone that looked almost like Howard. He was bent over a worktable, wearing oil- stained pants and a tank top, muttering to himself and frantically connecting wires. Steve frowned at the image. It almost looked like… Tony?

A Hydra guard rounded the corner and aimed a flamethrower at him. Steve ducked behind a corner and shielded his eyes from the flaming heat.

 _That doesn’t make any sense, I haven’t seen Tony in that situation before,_ he thought. The guard advanced on him, and Steve could feel the heat intensifying. He had to focus on now, had to focus on here.

Peggy came out of nowhere, raised a gun, and fired off a series of quick shots. The guard fell back, and Steve felt the heat recede with him. He glanced around and saw that the guard was now lying on the floor, covered in flames.

“You’re late,” he told Peggy. He grinned, sparing her a quick glance. In another world, maybe they could’ve been together. In another life, _if I weren’t already happily married…_

What?

He blinked, hard, and the thought disappeared. Peggy was smiling at him, nodding towards the door. “Weren’t you about to…?”

“Right.” Steve turned and raced after Schmidt again, grabbing the shield as he slid through the doorway and silently thanking Stark for the invention.

By the time he arrived in the airplane hangar, Schmidt was already firing up the plane.

Hundreds of soldiers, both Hydra and American, battled it out in front of him. Steve ran through the crowd, cutting down Hydra soldiers with the shield as he went.

He ran after the jet, but it was already pulling away, faster and faster. Steve watched it slowly accelerate and knew he’d never catch it.

 _If only Tony were here to fly me up to it_ , he thought. Which was ridiculous, because Tony had already said he couldn’t fly an airplane.

God, he was losing it.

Colonel Phillips pulled up next to him in a long, black automobile. “Get in!” he cried. Steve jumped over the door and into the seat, and the Colonel was off again, after the jet.

The car sped up and Steve positioned himself to jump onto the underbelly of the plane. “Keep it steady!” he called.

“Wait!” Peggy grabbed his arm, turned him, and pressed her lips to his.

All he could think was that it felt wrong somehow. Her lips were soft, not chapped and dry, and she was wearing lipstick, and somehow that was just _wrong._

Peggy pulled away and smiled. “Go get him,” she said. Steve nodded and turned towards the Colonel.

“I’m not kissing you,” Phillips grouched, and then the plane was getting closer so Steve turned and jumped up to grab the wheel. He saw the Colonel swerve, and then Schmidt was taking off and they were flying above the mountains.

\--------------------

“Not gonna lie, that hurt more than I thought it would,” Tony said as he and Natasha watched Peggy kiss Steve.

“Don’t be such a baby, you still marry him in the end,” Natasha replied. She was driving a military grade Jeep, following the Colonel as he raced after Schmidt.

“I never said it was a rational hurt. It just hurts. Imagine if you went back in time and saw Bucky with—”

“Will you please drop it and hold on?” Natasha pressed a button and the car went zooming forward until it was only a few feet behind Steve. “When he jumps, you have to jump, too. Hope you’re not afraid of heights.”

“You do remember that I'm Iron Man, right?” Tony watched Steve crouch on the seat, then leap up and out to grab the wheel. “Wish me luck.” With that, he knelt and jumped up, as well, grabbing the adjacent wheel and pulling himself up.

“Jesus Christ, how does he keep doing that?” he muttered to himself.

The wheels pulled into the jet and Tony was thrown into darkness, illuminated only by the soft glow of the arc reactor. He climbed off the wheel and onto a metal platform. From the other side of the compartment, he saw Steve do the same.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he called. Steve whirled around and his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Tony?” he whispered. Tony shrugged and walked forward to meet him. “Tony, are you insane?”

“Jury’s still out. Steve, you need to listen…”

Steve glanced behind Tony’s shoulder and his eyes widened. Tony turned and saw several bombs, each labeled with a different city. “New York” was closest to them.

“We have to go, Tony. He’s going to destroy all of these cities.” Steve turned back to him and Tony watched his jaw harden in stubbornness. “You need to stay here, it’s not safe. Find a way off this jet and get back to the base.”

Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even before they were married Steve was a controlling, overprotective freak. Typical.

“Okay, so that’s not happening, so instead you’re going to sit here and listen to me,” Tony said. “Steve, you need to remember, okay? I need you to focus.”

Steve blinked at him and shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but we need to go. Now. Tony, Schmidt’s going to…”

“Yeah, I know what he’s going to do,” Tony cut in. “And you can go stop him in a second, but goddamnit Steve if you don’t remember you’re going to be _stuck here_ and I can’t let that happen.”

“Why do you care so much?” Steve asked suddenly. Tony really did roll his eyes then.

“For God’s sake. You know what, if Peggy can do this, so can I.” With that, he leaned up and kissed Steve again.

\--------------------

Steve felt lips, warm and chapped, against his, and sighed. This was right. Not Peggy with her smooth, red lips and rose- smelling hair. But this, dry lips and the brush of stubble and a smell that reminded Steve of seared metal and coconut…

It all rushed back. Ten years of marriage, of raising a child, of laughing and fighting and kissing and _living_ , in the 21st century, with the man he loved more than life itself. He saw Tony, bent over a work table with greasy hair and tired eyes, Tony curled next to him on the couch watching the television and laughing, Tony with spaghetti sauce on the edge of his mouth on their first real date. Tony shouting at him after a battle, lying next to him in bed, kissing him with those damn lips over and over…

Steve pulled back and rested his forehead against—against _his husband’s_  shoulder. “Tony,” he whispered.

Tony sighed and wrapped an arm around his neck. “Finally,” was all he got the chance to say, and then the world around them was warping and twisting and al Steve could do was hold on.

\--------------------

Tony cracked his eyes open with a soft groan. “Someone turn the sun off,” he muttered. He heard a breath huff behind him and turned.

Steve was lying next to him in bed, grinning at him with that dopey smile of his that Tony loved. “Morning,” he said.

“Steve, oh thank fuck.” Tony hurled himself towards Steve, kissing him desperately and sighing into his mouth. “You are such an idiot,” he whispered against the other man’s lips.

“Takes one to know one,” Steve replied. He brushed the back of his fingers down Tony’s cheek and smiled. “Knew you’d come find me.”

“Let’s never do that again, okay? Let’s all agree, here and now, to stay in the 21st century.”

Steve nodded. “Deal. Now let’s get dressed and go find Loki. I need to punch something.”

Tony grinned and pecked Steve’s lips quickly. “That’s really hot when you talk like that, just so you know.”

They rolled out of bed and dressed quickly, stealing glances at each other every once in a while just to make sure that it wasn’t a dream. Tony was pulling a pair of socks on when he heard the door creak open.

“Pop?” a voice whispered. Steve turned towards the door and opened his arms, and Peter came bursting in, straight into Steve’s embrace.

“Hey, kiddo,” Steve murmured.

“Pop, I was so scared that you were gone forever, and we went back to the 1940s and saw Uncle Bucky and you, and there were all sorts of wars, and then I was with Uncle Clint and there were soldiers coming for us and Uncle Clint ran out of arrows so we were running and then we were here in bed,” Peter rushed out. He looked up at Steve with wide eyes. “Are you here forever and ever again?”

Steve leaned down and kissed Peter’s forehead. “Forever and ever,” he promised.

In the living room, the rest of the team was already assembled. Sam slapped Steve on the shoulder as he entered with Tony, carrying Peter in his arms. “Thank god you came to your senses,” Sam muttered. “I was getting pretty sick of the blatant racism of the 1940s.”

Steve smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that,” he replied. Sam shrugged.

“Did what we had to do. I'm sort of looking forward to watching you punch Loki, though.”

“I think we’re all going to get enjoyment out of that,” Bucky called from the couch next to Natasha and Clint. He turned and grinned at Steve. “Good to have you back.”

“I could say the same for you,” Steve replied. Tony remembered that Steve essentially had to relive his best friend’s death all over again and reminded himself to throw an extra punch at Loki while they were there, just for that.

Bruce arrived with Thor, who was tugging Loki behind him. “Captain, it is good that you are returned to us!” Thor boomed. Loki rolled his eyes.

“About that, Thor,” Steve began. Thor just stepped aside and crossed his arms.

“Whatever you wish to do to my brother, I am certain he deserves,” he said. Tony grinned and hugged Peter to his side when Steve put him down. Without a word, Steve turned and punched Loki square across the jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Steve straightened and smiled. “Sure is good to be home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID IT. It took almost a month, but goddamnit I finished this story! So sorry about the wait, I had a serious case of writer's block and just couldn't shake it. But I'm back now and better than ever!!!
> 
> Thank you again to Hannahfltx, for providing me with this absolutely wonderful fic prompt! I had a lot of fun with it and I hoped you enjoyed reading it!
> 
> ALSO, my first fic, It Takes a Village, just made the first page of the Superfamily tag!!! If you go to the tag and sort by 'kudos', it's on the first page and is slowly making it's way up the list. Seeing as that was my first fic EVER and it was pretty rough at first, that is absolutely amazing and I'm overwhelmed how awesome you all are for that. 
> 
> Next up on the drawing board is finishing "You Never Forget Your First", a College AU that's currently in progress, and shortening my prompt request/idea list. So if you have a prompt idea, now's a great time to send it to me!! All prompt ideas and requests that I have in the works can be found [here](http://halfway-punk-rock.tumblr.com/prompt_list) and you can shoot me an ask about a prompt idea of yours [here](http://halfway-punk-rock.tumblr.com/ask) or leave a comment on one of my fics!!! 
> 
> Thank you all who stuck with the story from the beginning and all who joined in along the way, you're all beautiful and I love you. Happy reading!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to AO3 user Hannahfltx, to whom this work is gifted. Go find her on [tumblr](http://hannahfltx.tumblr.com/)!!!
> 
> This work is titled after a Carbon Leaf song, also named "The War Was in Color". It's a hauntingly beautiful song and I recommend you all go listen. The chapter titles are all lyrics from the song.
> 
> Got an idea for a fic? A prompt you'd like to see? Either leave a comment on this fic OR go to my [tumblr ask box](http://halfway-punk-rock.tumblr.com/ask) and leave it for me! I'd love to hear them!!!


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